While Buick sales were down 12.9% in China last month, the brand's best-sellers were the Excelle XT and GT.

General Motors’ sales in China dipped for the second consecutive month under the weight of increased competition from domestic and international brands, model changeovers and the slowing pace of economic growth in China.

GM and its joint ventures sold 252,567 vehicles last month in China, which was down 4% year over year. The big driver was model changeovers for several models combined with the phasing out of older ones. The company’s May retail sales reflected improved mix of SUVs and MPVs, which were up a combined 21.8%, plus a 10.9% increase in sales of Cadillac luxury models.

For the first five months, GM and its joint ventures had record retail sales in China of 1,472,186 vehicles, an increase of 5.1% on an annual basis. China is one of the major pillars of post-bankruptcy GM and of vital importance to the company’s future.

“China’s vehicle market continues to grow at a moderate pace,” said GM Executive Vice President and GM China President Matt Tsien. “We expect about 6-8% annual growth, which is significant given the size of the world’s largest passenger vehicle market.”

The Cruze was Chevy's biggest mover in May in China. The brand was down 2.2% for the month.

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“We continue to respond to shifting consumer preferences with more new products in the high-growth SUV, MPV and luxury segments, including the Baojun 560 and Buick Envision, as well as the Buick Verano and new Chevrolet Malibu sedans. In addition, we are increasing production to meet demand for the popular Envision.”

SAIC-GM-Wuling sold a May record 133,093 units in China, an increase of 2.7% on an annual basis. Domestic sales by Shanghai GM were down 7.6% to 119,214 units.

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Buick sales in the domestic market decreased 12.9% on an annual basis to 62,601 units, led by the Excelle XT and GT with sales of 15,311 units. Chevrolet sales in China decreased 2.2% on an annual basis to 50,021 units. Its most popular nameplate in May was the Cruze, which sold 20,675 units, an increase of 6.6% year on year. It was followed by the Sail, which had sales of 13,474 units, and the Malibu, whose sales totaled 8,097 units.

Cadillac sold a May record 6,592 units in China, up 10.9% year over year. Sales of the ATS-L and ATS totaled 2,758 units – compared to 536 units in the same month last year.

At the opposite end of the market, Baojun sales were up 293.8% but Wuling sales dropped 11.7% from May 2014 due in large part to a model changeover of the Hong Guang MPV.

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Between January and May, SAIC-GM-Wuling’s domestic sales grew 10.4% to 809,657 units, while Shanghai GM’s sales rose 3.4% to 660,270 units. Both were records for the period.